The Go-Betweens were a critically-acclaimed cult act famously summarised by Village Voice critic Robert Christgau thus: “Robert Forster and Grant McLennan are the greatest songwriting partnership working today.”
Early drummers Lissa Ross and Tim Mustapha were followed by Lindy Morrison, who was a constant member through the six albums the band recorded in their first and most prolific era. Robert Vickers made the band a four piece when he joined on bass for the third album - "Spring Hill Fair". He left following the fifth album, to be replaced by long-time Brisbane muso John Wilsteed. Amanda Brown (violin, oboe and vocals) was the other key member, heavily influencing the Go-Betweens sound on the final two albums in this period.
The Go-Betweens toured overseas numerous times and produced such indie hits as "Cattle and Cane" (1983) and "Streets of Your Town" (1988). After recording six acclaimed albums, Forster and McLennan disbanded The Go-Betweens in December 1989.
Forster and McLennan pursued solo careers throughout the '90s but were inspired to work together after they were invited by fans at French music magazine Les Inrockuptibles to perform at the magazine's 10th anniversary.
In 2000, Forster and McLennan reformed The Go-Betweens, assisted by all three members of Sleater-Kinney, and recorded the album The Friends of Rachel Worth.
The most recent line-up (2005) included Forster, McLennan, Adele Pickvance (bass) and Glenn Thompson (drums).
In October 2005 The Go-Betweens finally achieved mainstream recognition, with the album Oceans Apart (produced by Mark Wallis and Dave Ruffy) winning an ARIA award for Best Adult Contemporary Album.
Grant McLennan died in his sleep at his home in Highgate Hill, Brisbane on May 6, 2006. He was preparing for a party at his home when he mentioned he was feeling ill, and went to lie down. He was found later that night, and is believed to have suffered a heart attack. With McLennan's death, Robert Forster announced that the Go-Betweens are no more.
"The Go-Betweens have made their final album. They have played their final show. We let it rest at that, being very proud of what we have done." - Robert Forster (May 7th 2006). In June 2007, a tribute album, Write Your Adventures Down, was released in Australia.
Discography:
Non-Album Singles
* "Lee Remick/Karen" (Able Label, 1978)
* "People Say/Don't Let Him Come Back" (Able Label, 1979)
* "I Need Two Heads/Stop before You say It" (Missing Link/Postcard, 1980)
Albums
* Send Me A Lullaby (1982)
* Before Hollywood (1983)
* Spring Hill Fair (1984)
* Liberty Belle and the Black Diamond Express (1986)
* Tallulah (1987)
* 16 Lovers Lane (1988)
* 16 Lovers Lane Acoustic Démos (1996)
* Live on SNAP (1999)
* The Friends of Rachel Worth (2000)
* Bright Yellow Bright Orange (2003)
* Oceans Apart (2005)
* Live At The Tivoli, Brisbane (2006)
Compilations
* 1978-1990 (1990)
* Bellavista Terrace: Best of the Go-Betweens (1999)
* 78 'til 79 the Lost Album (1999)
Previous Members:
* Malcolm Kelly ("People Say")
* Jaqueline / Candice ("People Say")
2) The Go-Betweens [60s] A american garage band, made one single 1965.
Knock Knock / Have Her for My Own
People Say
The Go-Betweens Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The Go-Betweens' song, "People Say," contains lyrics with a depth of meaning. The song opens with an invitation to improve, as the subject's walk is barely noticeable. The holy sailors with the harbor smells feed from their broken shells. The character in the song feels the way a cruel God steals the things you love and hold, ultimately priceless regardless of sale value. The chorus repeats how "people say" that the character in the song is mad to want, need, and love someone, indicating that the love is difficult, possibly unhealthy or frowned upon.
The lyrics continue on to describe the difficult situation that the character in the song is struggling to overcome. The character cannot hold a job or even have basic necessities such as food, and they've had to sell their stereo to survive. The character describes the impossibility of having their cake and eating it too with a line about milk. A metaphor about clouds lying on their backs and raining on everyone while the character in the song remains dry is introduced, indicating the character is somewhat of an outsider or disconnected from the world around them.
The song closes with a recommendation to follow the doctor's advice and to seize life to its fullest. The character invites someone to travel with them, perhaps to Rome, to pursue a brighter future. Despite being told that they are mad to want, need, and love, the character in the song remains resilient and strong.
Line by Line Meaning
You've got to improve
You need to make things better
Your walk hardly moves
You're not making much progress
Your holy sailors with their harbour smells
The people who support you always have a narrow-minded view
Feed from your broken shells
They don't really help you - they just take advantage of your broken state
So that's how it feels
It's a painful reality to face
It's a cruel God that steals
Life can be unjust and take away the things you cherish
The things you love, the things you hold
The things that are most valuable to you
That are priceless but still sold
Even the most treasured things can be bought or taken away
People say I'm mad to want you
Others think it's irrational for me to desire you
People say I'm mad to need you
Others think it's irrational for me to depend on you
People say I'm mad to love you babe
Others think it's irrational for me to have strong feelings for you
The jobs you cannot hold
You struggle to maintain employment
The stereo that you sold
You've had to sell your possessions to make ends meet
You can't have milk and drink it too
You can't have everything you want at once
Your kitchen never had any food
You've struggled to provide basic necessities for yourself
The clouds lie on their backs
Storms affect everyone
And rain on everyone
No one is immune to hardship
But you always stay dry
You seem to avoid the negative effects that others face
You've got your own private sun
You have a unique way of creating your own happiness
Listen to the doctor�s advice
Take guidance from those who know what they're talking about
Nobody's ever been saved twice
It's rare to be able to avoid multiple crises in life
So pack your bags, your saxophone
It's time to leave and pursue new opportunities
I'm gonna take you to Rome
We're going to have a fresh start together
Contributed by Nicholas I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Jose Pedragosa
amazing,wonderful among the best of his material,fine,fine!!!!
Andràs V
could listen to this forever
Jose Pedragosa
Other hidden jewel song,more soon sessions,too are very good, enchanted!!!
Alianger
Why isn't this on spotify yet
Adam Cole
It is now. Which is nice.
40mm mm
Cause it’s not
shrew972
fab!
iamme611
great
lord summerisle
We are the chosen few.
roberto c
Love it. Sounds a bit like the Stranglers, the vocal I mean (Hugh Cornwell) A bit punky - I believe it's from 1979. Anyone concur?